Entry into Berryland
by Jacob R. Davis
Summary: *Suspended* I have been hit by a laser, and I thought I would go blind. But this time, fate was on my side. Now, living in Berry Bitty City will prove to be a challenge. Hopefully I'll pull through.
1. Prologue

_**Strawberry Shortcake: Entry Into Berryland**_

_**By Jacob Davis**_

Prologue - Beamed into Berry Bitty City

My name is Jacob. I am a person who accidentally came to Berry Bitty City. Strawberry and her friends have took me in as if I was part of their humble city, however, I have no way to get back to my real home.

To better explain, here's how this whole thing started.

_ Las Vegas, Nevada – September 27, 2010_

It all started when these new laser shrinking machines started popping up all over the country. My parents have decided to buy one of those machines from a Best Buy affiliate, and let's just say that it was quite big for its size. They bought it as we were preparing to move to Japan, due to the fact that pretty much everything needed to come with us! However, little did I know that one small accident that would happen to that machine can have a big impact on my life overall.

When the machine was brought up to the living room, Dad started the sequence right away, but although he failed to install one crucial part into the system, I couldn't tell him that there would be serious ramifications, because according to him, I was not the be-all and end-all of machinery or mechanics. I just let him do his thing, but then, when the shrinking process started, something very mysterious had happened.

The laser was aiming straight for me! My parents screamed, my brother was in a state of panic, and I was frozen in place when the beam hit me.

I never knew about the effects of lasers like this, but one thing I did know about most types of lasers was that they were a blinding hazard when pointed at my eyes! But this one wasn't your ordinary laser, oh no! This one wasn't as much a hazard as most lasers were at all. Instead of just shrinking me, it also broadcast my body straight down to the berry patch we had in the backyard. What would happen to me now? Death? Disintegration? Perhaps some nasty medical problems? Well, as it turned out, none of the above. Instead, I lost consciousness.

A few minutes later, I woke up, only to be greeted by some of the cutest faces I could have only seen on television.

* * *

**A/N: I have initially used Google Drive to write the story, but I decided a full rewrite of the opening chapters was needed before I could put it up here. Please comment if you like it.**


	2. 1 - Meeting Strawberry and her Friends

_**Strawberry Shortcake – Entry into Berryland**_

I. - Meeting Strawberry and her Friends

I woke up in what appeared to be a very fancy room. Seven girls stood at the foot of the bed I was laying on, complimented by five more creatures shaped like some sort of anthropomorphic miniature strawberries. At first, I thought I was dreaming, but when I pinched my arm, it turned out that, in reality, I wasn't. The girls and creatures giggled at my sudden grasp of realization. Then, one of them, a red-haired girl with a strawberry hat, came up and spoke.

"You were passed out in the middle of town. We're glad to see you awake!" said the girl. "I'm Strawberry Shortcake." She then motioned to the other girls. "This is Plum, Cherry, Lemon, Orange, Raspberry, and Blueberry." Come to think of it, I now figured out that everyone was named after some sort of dessert. My voice was a bit hoarse, but I managed to talk to this Strawberry Shortcake person. "Can you tell me where in the world I am?"

Strawberry giggled at my questioning statement. "You're in Berry Bitty City! We're right in the middle of the biggest berry patch you've ever seen! I'll tell you what, how about we give you the grand tour after you rest a bit. It's nearing nighttime after all, and we need to close up shop and get to bed, too."

Now I was curious. "Sounds good, Strawberry. I'm Jacob, by the way. Nice to meet all of you, ma'am." Then something hit me about those creatures that I had to ask her about. "Those things that were with you. What are they?"

Strawberry's friends went out the door. As she was about to leave, she turned back to me. "They're called 'berrykins.'" And with that, Strawberry Shortcake closed the door behind her.

I was awake for a good three hours afterward. I turned to the clock on the bedside table. 10:15 PM. I took a moment to think about how this turn of events took place. First off, a laser hitting me, and then I wind up in the most cute of places, meeting some new people in the process, already on my own way, away from my own family. However, at the same time, I felt bad that my family may get into the biggest argument about me, the likes of which I might never hear. I ultimately decided to put those thoughts aside and drift off to sleep that night. Tomorrow morning, I might figure out why I wound up in Berry Bitty City.

The next morning, I woke up and went downstairs. Strawberry Shortcake was waiting for me. She smiled. "Come on! There's so much to show you!" We went over much of the city, from her café, to Lemon's salon, to the clothing boutique operated by Raspberry, to Plum's dance studio, among other things. She even told me about every one of her friends, in great detail. Later, we went back to the café.

"So," I said to Strawberry, "you're a foodservice worker, Raspberry Torte makes clothes, Lemon Meringue is a barber and a nail expert, Blueberry Muffin is basically a bookworm of sorts, Cherry Jam's a national pop star, Plum Pudding is a dance confidant, and Orange Blossom operates a general store." Strawberry nodded. "Seems to me you all know each other," I said. "We do," she replied. "Berry Bitty City may not look like much, but at least we all get along berry well!" Whoa. I never thought she'd use 'berry' in place of 'very,' what with her looks and residence topping it all off. I've barely known these people for 24 hours, and they're really nice. I've never met someone who would make friends that quick. Just then, Plum Pudding rammed through the door, with Lemon Meringue in tow. Lemon caught her breath, and then said "I'm here for the new guy. Jacob, is it?" I stood up in acknowledgment. Lemon looked me over and said "You look like you need a haircut. Let's go!" Without another word, she grabbed my hand, and we went to Lemon's salon.


	3. 2 - Haircuts and Drones

II. Salon-style Haircuts and Electronic Drones

I was in Lemon Meringue's salon, and quite frankly, it may as well be something along the lines of SuperCuts. But, as it turns out, Lemon not only wanted to give me a haircut, because when she started in, she asked me about how I got here in the first place.

"Well, Lemon, do you know about any shrinking machines?"

Lemon shook her head. "No. Not in the slightest."

"Well, these machines use laser beams to shrink items of a heavy weight." At that, Lemon looked as if she swallowed a piece of gum. She said, "That's what brought you here?"

"That would about sum it up, Lemon." When Lemon grabbed for a razor, I winced. "Be careful, please."

Lemon stifled a giggle. "Relax, it won't bite! I should know." She then pushed a switch, and with that came the electric snap, followed by a razor's trademark buzz. Now she made a move for my head, comb and razor in hand. I wound up calming down despite the noise, conversing with Lemon about the world I came from.

When she was finished, she gave me a mirror to look into. I looked at myself, and turned to Lemon. "Those people at Fantastic Sam's do something like this..." I found out that she gave me a crew cut. Usually, my mother would take me to a public hair salon for something like that, but this time, it was the salon's owner doing the same thing. I started to pull out my wallet to pay, but Lemon giggled. "No charge, silly. It's on me!" She then thought of something. "Hey, you should see this!" She went into her office for a couple minutes, and when she came out, a picture of some flowers was in her hands. "These were my violets," she said. "I worked on those things for almost a month! Even Berrykin Bloom was impressed!" She then turned crestfallen. "But not before they were taken."

I replied, "So, someone committed Grand Theft Flowerbed?"

Lemon turned to me. "Yep. A cute little squirrel. We had to direct her away from our flowers in the end."

I laughed. "ALWAYS those cute ones, huh?" Lemon started laughing with me, jabbing me in the side in the process.

I may not have known it, but at that very moment, my brother was sending in a miniature drone to find me. He must have known that I was shrunk, so as my parents were arguing over my possibly being dead, he started a video terminal and guided the drone to where he thought I was going to be – the berry patch.

As Lemon and I headed out of the salon, Lemon was the first to spot it. She turned to me with a questioning look. "What could that be?" I turned to where Lemon was looking. "A drone. Someone's looking for me," I said. Not too far behind was a blue hummingbird. She must have been following it, and she looked concerned. Just then, the drone came towards us, and slowly drifted towards Lemon. The drone moved around her as if to examine her, then started towards me. In that moment, I knew that my brother would find me out. A red light blinked on the lens. Reading the manuals to this particular model, I figured that it was recording video footage.

Lemon was a bit startled by it. "What's it...doing?"

"Recording U-CAP video footage."

At my remark, Lemon was even more scared. In fact, she was shaking! But I told her that my brother was at the controls, and he wouldn't hurt a friend of mine. She took it without comment and moved away. Just as she did, however, the drone moved away as well, then flew up and out of the city, and the berry patch, too. She took a while to calm down afterward. We waved good-bye to each other.

When I came back to the café, Strawberry stopped me at the door. "I had to pull a few strings," she told me, "but I referred your situation to a few berrykins. Lemon told me the whole story of how you got here. I'm afraid the effects of your ordeal may not wear off for some time."

She sounded very serious. I had to question her about whatever good may come out of this, if at all. Her reply was a bit less serious. "There are several berrykins working over near the dance studio. They're building a house..." Her voice trailed off.

I didn't need her to say anymore to know about this any further. It almost sounded like I was about to _**live**_ in Berry Bitty City.


End file.
